A Truck That Goes 1,000 Miles On a Tank of Gas?

Although the pickup truck market is hot and highly sought out, it’s never been known for gas mileage or efficiency. For example, the Toyota Tundra with its 5.7L V8 is incredibly reliable and was ahead of its time, but it gets awful gas mileage, yet it’s still competitive in the market. Last year, when Ford hybrid F-150 squeaked out 26mpg on the highway, it was huge news – for good reason.

Diesel-engined half-ton trucks are a different beast. The Chevy Duramax Silverado 1500 is able to achieve 27mpg combined, which is right with the Ram EcoDiesel. Well, Ram has reached a new accomplishment with their brand, and the Ram 1500 HFE Tradesman is making its mark in the industry.

Although the Ram falls 1mpg short of the Chevy’s combined fuel mileage number, it matches the mark of 33mpg on the highway. When you combine this with Ram’s 33-gallon gas tank, the HFE Tradesman is easily capable of traveling 1,000 miles on a tank. The automaker has made bold claims, but the results have been backed up.

Thinking of where trucks have come and where they are today is a testament to engineers in their endless quest to perfect an already great invention. Achieving this goal of increased mileage is impressive in a machine that isn’t aerodynamic and weighs almost double that of a standard car.

It doesn’t end there, though, and Ram hasn’t sacrificed the purpose of the truck, which is towing. Although the 3.0L Duramax can match Ram’s fuel economy, it doesn’t come anywhere near the 12,560-pound towing ability. The competing diesel Silverado can tow, under normal circumstances, an impressive 9,500 pounds, but it’s galaxies away from the Ram in that respect.

The 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 boasts 260-horsepower and 480-pound-feet of torque. Ram has a 20-pound-feet advantage over the Chevy and 40-pound-feet more than Ford.

Here’s the trade-off – you can’t have both. If you’re towing, you shouldn’t expect impressive fuel economy, which is the case with any vehicle. The truck has been carefully crafted to achieve these figures, and it’s only available as a short bed crew cab in two-wheel drive.

At a reasonable $43,935, the Tradesman is a fuel-efficient and affordable truck that will be widespread once it’s debuted this Spring. If you want a diesel truck that’s fuel-efficient and can tow your trailer, you’re in luck.